OT - NCAA lacrosse bracket show

The NCAA lacrosse selection show was last night. Despite the struggles of our first two seasons it was nice to hear the commentators mention Michigan as a program that will get there soon and do some damage when we do. Good to see objective observers who know the game believe in where we're headed.

As for the brackets, this tournament is the most wide open I can remember. Coming off the Loyola national championship last year this is more evidence of the slow changing of the guard as parity hits lacrosse. No Hopkins for the first time in 41 years. No Virginia. Ohio as the 3 seed. 10 years ago if you would have said that someday 3 of the top 4 seeds would be ND, Ohio and Denver any blue blooded east coast lacrosse person (me) would have called in the men in the white coats.

In a local side note, Detroit made the tournament for the first time in their five year history as a program. They beat Siena in OT yesterday to get their AQ. Good for them, but thank God for the MAAC. They sport a 5-9 record with all 5 wins coming in the conference.

If you are in the midwest, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is a quarterfinal site on the 19th. Not sure why they picked Indy (must be the same guys who choose Frozen Four sites), but it's the first time a quarterfinal has been anywhere west of the Appalachians. Go if you're nearby.

I have been guilty each of the past two years of overestimating Michigan's chances in the upcoming season, but let's try again: I think next year, with Loyola gone from the ECAC, Michigan could be a minor threat to get to the ECAC tourney. Three wins is typically enough to make a conference tourney with seven teams, and Michigan hung in very tough against Hobart and Fairfield. Obviously there's a great deal of improvement between here and there, and I don't think they'll actually make the tourney, but at least we could see them contend a little instead of waiting all year for that first win.

I agree. Although I think 2015 is our breakout season, I agree we have a shot to make the ECAC tourney next year. We only need to beat out three teams to get there, and we have a chance against Bellarmine, Air Force, Fairfield and Hobart (assuming Denver and OSU are in). That's a tall task, but it's doable.

Question to the blue bloods: when do you think the lax tourney expands? It probably waits for more expansion, but with relative newbies like OSU, ND and Denver keeping schools like Hopkins, UVa and some Ivies out, does it behoove them to expand? Obviously the fans would love it, as would the next group of schools.

20 years ago, all of the big fan bases got it almost every year, but that's not the case now. Just wondering what you guys thought about that.

Very soon. Next year the new Atlantic Sun will have an autobid - they don't have to wait like the NEC did because the NEC had Bryant, which was a provisional D-I member til this year. The A-Sun is the manifestation of the long-anticipated southern conference. The NEC looks for now as if they'll lose their autobid after just one year, so it'll still be eight autos and eight at-larges most likely.

HOWEVA - next year the ACC will probably have a temporary autobid, making nine for at least a year. It'll be a six team conference by adding ND and Cuse and not yet losing Maryland. Plus, if and when Hopkins joins a conference, and I think it's more when than if, it'll create a new autobid, because let's face it, they're probably going to either the B1G or ACC. Long-term both conferences have five teams, so Hopkins will mean a ninth permanent autobid.

This doesn't even take into account the possibility that the NEC could get itself together somehow, or that the B1G or ACC could add a sixth team from within (Northwestern? MSU? BC? NC State?) or various other scenarios. Bottom line: I don't think it's very long before the tournament becomes an 18 or 20 team affair. Couple years, tops.

That's what I figured - it behooves both Rutgers and the Big East to keep them in to keep the autobid. I imagine Rutgers will stay until either another Big East school or Big Ten school adds lacrosse.

I've heard rumors that Minnesota is the closest Big Ten team to add lacrosse, which kinda makes sense. They'd be the first program in the state, and Minnesota HS lacrosse is surprisingly strong, and growing.

Expansion to 18 or 20 teams in the NCAA Tournament might be a few years away, but it seems likely that it will happen, unless some schools drop their programs.

In the next two years, five men’s Division One lacrosse programs will be added. In 2014, Richmond and Furman will be in the new Atlantic Sun Lacrosse Conference with Jacksonville, Mercer, High Point and VMI. Boston University will join the Patriot League (as it is joining for all sports in July 2013), and Monmouth will join the MAAC (as it is joining for all sports in July 2013). In 2015, Massachusetts-Lowell will start play in America East (as it is joining for all sports in July 2013). So, by 2015, there will be 68 Division One men’s teams.

The ACC might be able to entice Boston College or Pitt to step up to varsity. BC’s club team is 13-0 this year and ranked eighth in the latest MCLA Poll. Pitt’s club team is 11-7 and ranked 23rd in the latest MCLA Poll.

This year’s top two Division One club teams are Colorado (15-2) and Colorado State (17-0), so there might be some justification for one or both of those programs to go varsity to give Denver and Air Force more local competition. Colorado is adding a women’s varsity team.

Once there are at least 72 teams playing D-1 lacrosse, an 18 or 20 team field for the NCAA Tournament seems reasonable.

There have been rumblings for a little while of Texas and USC adding the sport at the varsity level. Texas has a pretty solid club team, and although USC really doesn't, there is tons and tons of lacrosse talent out here that they'll be able to scout very well.

If you look at how well the Pac-12 teams do at the club level (and lots of smaller name CA schools) it's clear what kind of lacrosse talent there is on the West Coast. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pac-12 go varsity within the next 5-10 years and just bust the sport wide open.

EDIT: Of the MCLA top-25, 15 are from the West Coast/Pac-12 states. All of the Pac-12 schools have an MCLA team, and 7 of them are in the top-25.